All Articles Tagged "drug abuse"

Even when the cameras aren’t rolling, Stevie J consistently finds himself in some drama.

According to the New York Post and the AP, he’s been ordered to spend 30 days in rehab after failing not just a few drug tests, but 10 since he was initially arrested for his failure to pay $1.1 million in back child support for two of his kids, who reside in Pennsylvania. Stevie J has been out on bail trying to get that situation taken care of.

Stevie J, born Steven Jordan, was ordered to submit to random drug tests as part of the terms of his release, and in 10 urine samples taken from June up until this month, Jordan was caught with weed and cocaine in his system. Judge Andrew Peck just ordered Jordan to rehab to deal with his 0bvious drug habit, which his lawyer tried to argue against. According to attorney Michael Bellinger, if Jordan was sent to rehab, he wouldn’t be able to pay down his debts because he wouldn’t be able to work (Jordan is still out here making music when he’s not filming “LHHATL”). But Judge Peck said in court that at this point, Jordan is pretty lucky that he hasn’t been put in jail for violating the terms of his $25,000 bond agreement.

It’s clear that it’s time for him to sit down somewhere and deal with his drug abuse problems before things get any worse than they already are.

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For the past few months, we’ve been hearing about all of the family drama surrounding Master P, his estranged wife, Sonya Miller and their children. In case you missed it, Sonya recently filed for divorce from the hip hop mogul, although they’ve been living separate lives for nearly seven years. Since her filing, a slew of accusations have been hurled from each party. According to Sonya, P left her destitute and kidnapped their children. According to P, Sonya is battling a drug addiction and needs to step up to become a better mother to their children.

“I think people don’t realize that she put us in this position when she put her business out in the public. So we just gotta deal with it,” he told TMZ earlier this month. “One thing I will say it that drugs destroy a lot of families and I’m not going to let it destroy my family.

“We ain’t hiding no more because I think this situation is affecting a lot of families, not just my family,” he continued. “I think that, you know, drugs destroy families. I’m not gonna let it destroy mine. I’m going to fight for it. Whatever I can do for her, I’m gonna do it.”

Not only has he decided to stop “hiding” his family woes, if recent reports are correct, then he’s actually looking to draw more attention to the turmoil that’s currently plaguing his family. According to TMZ, P has already begun shooting a new reality show highlighting his family problems. The show is already reportedly being pitched to BET, Oxygen and VH1.

Bill de Blasio’s 19-year-old daughter, Chiara de Blasio, is talking candidly about her struggles with drugs and depression, just days before her father’s inauguration. Up until now her father’s campaign team had worked hard to suppress the details about Chiara’s problems, so as not to distract from the image of a happy and tight-knit family from Brooklyn, reports The New York Times. But she’s coming clean in a new video that has been posted for the public.

In the five-minute clip, Chiara speaks candidly about her adolescent battle with depression, which led to drinking and drug use. These habits heightened when she was attending college in California last year.

In the video, Chiara, dressed in a colorful headband and a taupe T-shirt, speaks in typical teenage cadences, saying her effort to become sober has been “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

She also described a sense of “physical insecurity” after leaving her parents’ home in Brooklyn for Santa Clara University in 2012. It was during this period she grew dependent on marijuana and alcohol.

Chiara’s video announcement was met with a statement from the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House, who praised her “tremendous bravery in speaking out about her recovery.”

According to the de Blasio team, the video is an effort to help those who might be suffering from similar issues during the holiday season. Others says that Chiara’s substance abuse has long a subject of speculation in the New York political world and the video allows the family to approach the subject on their own terms. Still others say the timing was important, with many people choosing to “dump” unfavorable news during the holidays when the public are more concerned with holiday festivities.

“She speaks to it with incredible courage and clarity and, you know, with a voice that really suggests an incredible wisdom for someone who’s only 19 years old,” the mayor-elect said.

According to an individual familiar with the situation, Chiara had wanted to speak out about her substance abuse during the mayoral campaign, but her parents were concerned about how that might affect her recovery.

New Yorkers responded positively to the personal nature of de Blasio’s campaign — from talk of Bill de Blasio’s family problems growing up (his dad committed suicide), to his wife’s changing sexuality — and might do so as well to Chiara’s video.

“Now, every one of those members of that family is part of our lives, and will continue to be for as long as Bill de Blasio is in office,” Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant, said. “They will be part of our daily New York drama, whether they like it or not, and whether we like it or not.”

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“They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, “No, no, no” Yes, I’ve been black, but when I come back you’ll know, know, know.” These lyrics by Amy Winehouse ring eerily true for many who have abused drugs and alcohol. From prescription drug abuse to extreme alcoholism, we’ve had to say goodbye to so many legends as a result of their addictions. They say success comes with a price and, unfortunately, these celebs paid with their lives.

Last week the hip-hop world stood still when news broke that Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly of 90’s group Kris Kross passed away. The circumstances surrounding his death were initially uncertain, as rumors that Chris suffered from a rare form of cancer had been circulating for years. Within 24 hours of his passing, a representative on behalf of the Fulton County Police Department expressed that the rapper’s death was likely the cause of an overdose. A friend of Kelly also told authorities that he’d been indulging in a combination of heroine and coke the night before.

Now, new evidence has surfaced. A video acquired by TMZ, which is said to have been taken only hours before his death, depicts Kelly with a group of friends, attempting to rap. Kelly appears to be under the influence of some sort of drug and is eerily rapping along to a song with lyrics about “a room full of dead bodies.” It’s really sad and difficult to watch, considering the seemingly drug-induced state that he’s in.

According to The Jasmine Brand, a public viewing for Kelly will be held Wednesday, May 8th throughout the afternoon and evening. Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 9th at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church. Kelly’s mother also released this statement regarding his passing:

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kellyhas passed away on May 1. To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris – the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party. Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him.”

Yesterday we reported that a woman by the name of Dawn Drago was suing actress and mother of three of entrepreneur P.Diddy’s children, Kim Porter. Drago’s suit, which was filed by attorney Patrick Reider, accuses Kim of violently and verbally abusing her during her period of employment as Porter’s nanny. Drago also claims that Porter is an avid drug user who is not above getting high in front of her twin daughters. The lawsuit implies that Porter’s drug of choice is marijuana and goes on to suggest that she also indulges in coc*ine and pill-popping.

Since the explosive claims made headlines yesterday, a source close to Kim has reached out to TMZ, stating that the former nanny is a liar and that she’s bitter because Kim fired her. The source went on to say that Drago is a convicted shoplifter, which is something that she failed to mention on her employment application. The insider also revealed that Kim is not allowing the claims to move her and that the allegations made about her being a drug abuser are completely false. Since Diddy has taken no action (at least not that we see) against Kim in an effort to remove the twins from her home, some are taking that as proof that he does not believe the allegations either.

In response to the source’s shoplifting revelation, the firm representing Drago released a statement to TMZ, saying that her prior conviction is irrelevant” because she was not working at a shop.”

Yeah, allow that to settle for a moment.

Should a plaintiff’s prior convictions be considered in civil lawsuits?

Since Lil Wayne’s hospitalization last week, there have been numerous claims made about the New Orleans rapper’s medical condition and the events leading up to his hospitalization. Some reports have even implied that the entertainer was on life support and family members were contemplating whether or not to pull the plug. Yesterday, Wayne’s mentor Birdman called up Angie Martinez of Hot 97 to tell how things went down and refute the conflicting reports that may be circulating.

“He had a seizure Tuesday night. He’s really been in the hospital since Tuesday. You know, all of the stuff that people is saying, there’s no truth to it at all. He had a seizure. We brought him to the hospital. We’ve been here ever since. He’s doing much better and he’s straight.”

“We were on our way to shoot a video when it happened. This is like the second or third time it happened, so automatically we laid him down and called the ambulance to get him to the hospital… I was there with him.”

On speculation that drugs caused the seizure:

“Honestly, you know it’s just his work ethic. What he puts in, what he believes in and how hard he works, how much dedication he gives to music, his fans and what he’s trying to accomplish in life. It ain’t had nothing to do with drugs, no such thing like that. He works around the clock. It wasn’t nothing about no drugs. He just needed to get some rest and relax. Take it one day at a time. He’ll be back, normal as anybody else. He just needs to relax.”

“At this point that [syrup] is not what they’re saying the cause is. It’s more of not getting proper rest.

On TMZ’s report:

“None of that was true. We were actually watching the game when all that popped off. It wasn’t never no truth to that He was never in that kind of situation [life support, medical induced coma etc.] throughout the whole few days we’ve been in the hospital. He ain’t never been bout to die.”

“They [TMZ] freaked the world out with that.”

“We got family and kids. When you putting out false rumors like that, you know, you can really damage families like that and have them fear.”

If you can die from a broken heart then surely a break-up can make you sick—that’s what level-headed people suspect led to Demi Moore’s hospitalization two days ago. As Demi’s rep said in statement earlier this week:

“Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health.”

While some would rather suggest that Demi’s exhaustion is a result of substance abuse, courtesy of a nitric oxide binge from Whip-its, or an eating disorder, science actually backs up the idea that divorce can make one sick.

A recent review from the University of Arizona found that divorce can raise the risk of early death by as much as 23 percent. The researchers also likened the effects of divorce to other health risks like smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, getting limited exercise, being overweight, and drinking heavily. Although the cause and effect relationship between death and divorce wasn’t conclusive, the correlation isn’t hard to imagine. According to psychotherapist Rachel Sussman:

“When you are processing the ending of a marriage you are overcome with a variety of complex emotions–sorrow, anger, shame, fear.

“Sleep and one’s ability to eat may be impacted by the sorrow and stress, [which in turn] may affect your overall health and cause you to get very run down.”

We’ve all been so stressed or sick that we couldn’t eat—or ate too much. We may have even stayed in bed for a day or two and shut out the rest of the world. Unfortunately Demi is a recovering addict so the potential for her to return to drugs is much higher, but I don’t think people should jump to that conclusion considering the effects the stress of divorce can have on someone. I think most of us would be a little sick if our marriage of seven years was ending and our soon-to-be ex-husband was making a public mockery of our relationship.

Do you think Demi is suffering from a broken heart over her divorce? Has a breakup ever made you sick?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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(New York Times) — Since 1996, Anne R. Elliott has been executive director of Greenhope Services for Women in East Harlem, which serves former inmates who have abused drugs or been battered, and provides an alternative to incarceration. This month, Greenhope opened Kandake House, a residence that has education, therapy and cultural programs. Dr. Elliott, a North Carolina native, is 49 and lives in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Career path: I went to Davidson for my B.A. in English literature, spent a couple of years teaching in Kenya, came to New York as a Coro fellow in 1986, then went to Union Theological Seminary for a master’s in divinity and a doctorate in systematic theology. I was an associate minister at Bridge Street Church, an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, where I ran a group called Kiamsha, which means “enlightened.” Women talked about what was going on in their lives. It felt to me what church should be about: talking about something that needs healing. I had done a spirituality workshop with women at Greenhope and I decided I would like to do that kind of work.

Success. It’s what we all strive for in one fashion or another; fame, wealth, popularity, and well being are all drivers of our aspirations. The more popular embodiments of those aspirations are celebrities – those who chose an artistic path and succeeded in not only conquering their passions, but also garnering public acclaim and widespread attention for doing simply what they wanted to do. So it is with that image that we can examine the other side of this success: drug abuse. All too often, the ones who appear to have nothing to complain about are the ones with the problem.

When it was revealed that T.I. was caught in Los Angeles with ecstasy in his pocket, as well as marijuana and codeine in the car, his carelessness was somewhat surprising given that the rapper was on probation and had just finished up a sentence in jail and a halfway house in March of this year. T.I. doesn’t seem to be the dumbest rapper around; in fact, he seems to be one of the smartest. So why such a dumb and trivial move for the man who has family, fortune and fame?

“People may be consciously content but unconsciously, numerous fears and vulnerabilities can drive people to use drugs,” said Dr. Srini Pillay, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Life Unlocked: 7 Revolutionary Lessons To Overcome Fear. “Drugs are used in a number of situations where self-control is compromised and impulse behaviors take over.”